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1. ChrisHajer
   Member

   I cannot find the "Duties of the EDC" online anywhere, so I am going off a hardcopy I received at the Jan 4th EDC meeting.

   Duties of the Commission
   Paragraph two:

   To prepare and recommend to the Village Board a plan accomplishing the two (2) goals of encouraging commercial development within the village and improving the Village's tax base and sales tax revenue.

   Paragraph four:

   To prepare and recommend to the Village Board, from time to time, ordinance changes involving zoning, parking restrictions, licensing, or other changes, which will enhance or otherwise benefit the commercial districts and activities within the village.

   I posted only those two paragraphs since I hate retyping and I could not find this document online. I don't have a lot of issue with the other paragraphs:

   Paragraph one: find out why businesses are leaving, or are being replaced by non-retail, or why competitors to existing businesses open in town.

   Paragraph three: server as primary business booster by encouraging people to shop in Riverside, attract business and patrons to the Village with fairs, exhibitions, etc.

   Paragraph five: work with the C of C.

   Paragraph six: undertake studies referred to it by the Village Board.

   But, in particular, encourage commercial development? Not everyone wants that. And benefit the commercial districts and activities within the Village. No mention of benefiting the residents of the community. You could argue that any benefit to the commercial districts will also benefit the residents, but again, some might disagree.

   I think the EDC has been burdened with a Sisyphean task. It's not their fault.

   Posted Tuesday Jan 23, 2007 21:57 #

2. corbi328
   Member

   "But, in particular, encourage commercial development? Not everyone wants that"

   Chris,

   You are absolutely right. That is pretty obvious if you talk long enough to some of the most prolific posters on this site. However, appeasing everyone in town is not a realistic goal. Properly scaled commercial development and promotion of economic activity is both desired by and in the best interest of a majority of Riverside's residents. Hence, the need for the EDC.

   Posted Tuesday Jan 23, 2007 22:06 #

3. spatny
   Member

   Again Corbi, what have you done for us lately? What thriving, vibrant, growing successful businesses has EDC brought to Riverside in the past three years? What unique and interesting strategies have you employed to achieve this? How do you plan to increase this in the future - TIF or no TIF? To reiterate - the town has low traffic counts. Growing businesses are not interested in such locations, especially when they have to pay the kinds of rents new construction mandates. So what's the plan? Don't tell us you're going to get TIF dollars and do three way deals with property owners - that's just subsidizing failure. What have you done for me lately, and why should anyone trust you to perform in the future? Just because the Village has an EDC doesn't mean it is a worthwhile endeavor, does it?

   Posted Tuesday Jan 23, 2007 22:45 #

4. corbi328
   Member

   Mr. Spatny,

   I believe I have answered many of these questions already. I can't speak for what happened previously with the EDC, but in the months since I and other members have joined the commission quite a few things have happened. Thanks to the success experienced at the EDC sponsored Art Fair, Riverside now can count a very nice custom jewelery shop as part of our commercial base (I urge everyone to stop by. It's right next to Parallel 42 on East Avenue). Furthermore, we are currently planning for the creation of a survey that will provide specific feedback on the type of businesses wanted and needed in town. The results of this survey, together with demographic information on the town and a list of available retail space will make up a marketing brochure that we will use to solicit businesses to our town. It's still early in the process but we are moving in the right direction and are at least making an effort. I really wish you would set aside this defeatist attitude with which you prejudge the success of our efforts. It is unbecoming of you and runs contrary to some of the other positive contributions you make to the well being of our town.

   Posted Tuesday Jan 23, 2007 22:59 #

5. MikeT
   Member

   corbi328 said--
   Properly scaled commercial development and promotion of economic activity is both desired...

   I think a lot of folks WOULD agree with that statement. It is quite powerful and I believe is roughly the same as what I have heard Lonnie and Jim R say when they mentioned 'smart development'.

   I take the phrase "properly scaled" and 'smart development' as fitting in to:

   *1 the architectural aesthetics of the urban landscape of Riverside
   *2 the economics of Riverside
   *3 the logistics of people and vehicular movement w/in Riverside
   *4 a comprehensive plan or vision of Riverside

   1) A properly scaled project s/b an extrapolation of Olmsted principles of subdued, open and not imposing space; also, the structures of the cbd s/ fit in w/ what surrounds it - which is the 'old and charming victorian look and feel': we should see what we see now in the cbd: gables, architectural details, chimneys, natural and older looking building materials, etc. After all, this is what is there now. it is not bolingbrook.

   2) economics: no big boxes or chains; and don't charge north clark street rents either; we don't have the numbers;

   3) logistics - I take to be well designed parking and pedestrian flow; don't design a retail building w/o the right kind of parking, for example.

   4) comp plan - I take to be that the project fits in w/ the overall agreed upon vision or essense of riverside which would specify how much mixed use, hi density, or single family we want; the project w/b w/in the proper ratios.

   I bet many folks have seen the VC and they don't want more of that. I submit that it violates all the criteria I listed above for properly scaled, or smart, development.

   Thus, people might say no development is better than improper development. Riverside's landscape is small, limited, and fragile. As a result, each mistake is magnified.

   thanks for hanging in for the long post.

   miket

   Posted Wednesday Jan 24, 2007 00:57 #

6. Aberdeen
   Member

   Mike T: Well said.

   Posted Wednesday Jan 24, 2007 08:23 #

7. MikeT
   Member

   When I awoke this morning I wanted to drop the other shoe from my statement:

   Thus, people might say no development is better than improper development.

   .
   .
   The EDC (and the Village Board/Admin), however, seems to say that ANY development is better than no development.

   The Village Crossing/Center project on burlington and longcommon is exhibit 1 for this statement. I will hazard to say that the VC violates the standards of scaled or smart development that were iterated above.

   The EDC's charter, as noted above in Chris's email, says to encourage 'commercial development', not 'scaled or smart commercial development'. Add that word or phrase in EDC charter, and I believe we'd be closer to an intersection of missions!

   .
   .
   The current tif over the TIF probably boils down to the community's lack of confidence that a TIF in the hands of people with this sensibility, charter, or mission would probably birth more VC's in Riverside and further erode Riverside finely crafted -and planned- sense of charm.

   When development is not done 'in scale' or 'smartly' - in the senses stated above - then each project, so done, disturbs the fragile Riverside landscape in both known and, like Chaos, unpredictable ways. For example, now that we DO have the VC, for the VC to work, it MIGHT NEED a parking garage to bring in the numbers. So now we have a VC and a c-ment parking garage. Will the c-ment garage also disturb riverside's landscape and look/feel? Yes. Feeding that animal might mean other things such as more high density residential is required. That means 2 cars per unit and we are getting further from what Riverside is.

   So bit by bit we lost Riverside.

   -Exactly like the frog who was boiled one degree at a time.
   http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic.php?id=58&replies=4#post-593

   miket

   Posted Wednesday Jan 24, 2007 10:36 #

8. ChrisHajer
   Member

   corbi328 said:

   "Thanks to the success experienced at the EDC sponsored Art Fair, Riverside now can count a very nice custom jewelery shop as part of our commercial base (I urge everyone to stop by. It's right next to Parallel 42 on East Avenue). Furthermore, we are currently planning for the creation of a survey that will provide specific feedback on the type of businesses wanted and needed in town."

   Sadly, the jewelry shop and Parallel 42 are both gone. I should go to the next EDC meeting and see how the survey is coming along (Thursday February 7th.)

   Posted Monday Jan 7, 2008 22:27 #

9. Catherine
   Member

   Maybe they haven't done anything for 9 months, as that is the last time they have their minutes posted to the village website. Otherwise, despite the government training offered, they continue to violate the Open Meetings Act.

   Posted Wednesday Jan 9, 2008 08:15 #

10. spatny
    Member

    This summer a couple meeting were cancelled, and this last one had no quorum. Didn't see Corbi.

    Posted Wednesday Jan 9, 2008 08:29 #

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